Joint account with ex

carlym81uk

Hi
I have posted here before about this but i'm just looking for a bit of advice as i seem to be getting nowhere with the bank. Me and my ex have a joint account with Santander. . We split up 2 years ago, and the account went over drawn due to him not paying his share of the bills in on time. After a lot of phone calls etc, i managed to get the ioverdraft charges reversed and the account back into a little bit of credit. The ex has now got wind of this and has started using the account again. He has already put it back into overdraft and i have had to put money back in it again. My last phone call to the bank, they said I could not close it without his consent etc and i quite understand that. The problem is we have no contact with each other.
Does anyone have any advice on this or has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks
Carly

Atidi

carlym81uk wrote: »

Hi
I have posted here before about this but i'm just looking for a bit of advice as i seem to be getting nowhere with the bank. Me and my ex have a joint account with Santander. . We split up 2 years ago, and the account went over drawn due to him not paying his share of the bills in on time. After a lot of phone calls etc, i managed to get the ioverdraft charges reversed and the account back into a little bit of credit. The ex has now got wind of this and has started using the account again. He has already put it back into overdraft and i have had to put money back in it again. My last phone call to the bank, they said I could not close it without his consent etc and i quite understand that. The problem is we have no contact with each other.
Does anyone have any advice on this or has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks
Carly

I suggest you seek independent legal advice, and get this split finalised once and for all

colsten

Oh the joys of joint accounts..........

Check page 29 of their General T & Cs:

If you decide that a joint account isn’t working for you, please let us know and we’ll help you find an alternative solution with us. Please note that if the joint account is operated on an either signature basis, we can take instructions to close the joint account from either account holder.

It sounds as if your account has been set up with "both signatures required", so the most you can do is formally notify Santander that there is a dispute and ask them to confirm to you, in writing, that all instructions and payments from your ex need to also be agreed by you with immediate effect. I am amazed the account isn't marked as "in dispute" already - have you not been forceful enough when asking them?

Ref page 5 of the above T&Cs:

3.3 The right of each of you to operate the account on your own is on the condition that we do not receive notice of a dispute between you. If one of you tells us of a dispute:
a) any instructions will need the agreement of both of you;
b) we can suspend some services on your account (including online banking);
c) we can ask you to return cheques and cards. Until they are returned, transactions may still be deducted from your account;
d) you are still responsible to us individually and together

Whilst this will put a stop to him spending your money, it will not remove the financial association that exists between the two of you on your credit files. I am not sure you can get rid of this whilst the joint account still exists. May be once Santander blocks the account you can convince your ex that there is no point in having it any longer? You should really get the association with this man off your files as he sounds a financial hazzard that could create further problems for you down the line.

colsten

Atidi wrote: »

I suggest you seek independent legal advice, and get this split finalised once and for all

No need to pay a lawyer. If your ex doesn't want to cooperate, he cannot be forced to. But as I posted, you can put the account into dispute which stops him running up further debts. This can be done today.

Atidi

^^^

Take a look at user's previous posting history...

colsten

Crikey, thanks. I wonder why I bothered as the OP seems to have done nothing with the help she got previously! https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/66486858#Comment_66486858

grumbler

carlym81uk wrote: »

I have posted here before about this but i'm just looking for a bit of advice as i seem to be getting nowhere with the bank.

grumbler wrote: »

...don't let them fob you off ...

It's highly unlikely that the account requires both signatures. Take the names of the people giving you runaround, then see the T&C quoted above and...
http://www.santander.co.uk/uk/help-support/complaints